The present invention relates generally to the field of configuring logic instructions in automation devices, and more specifically to techniques for encapsulating device-level embedded logic into user-defined instructions.
Logic solving capability may be programmed into various sensor and actuator devices, such as input/output (I/O) devices, motor drives, relays, push buttons, and other automation devices to improve the performance of the devices and to enable limited but rapid response to automation needs without specific direction from a central automation controller. For example, such logic solving capability may control outputs and manage status information of the automation devices to control operation of other components directly or closely connected to the devices. The configuration of the logic solving capability may be accomplished through visual editing tools, which provide graphical interfaces for configuring functions blocks that encompass the local control functions for the devices. Such distributed control allows low-level devices to perform operations heretofore performed only by reference to logic in one or more network-connected automation controllers. Application-specific logic programming must often be performed repeatedly within devices and/or between devices. Often, there is no easy way to reduce the number of repeated programming steps.